Having and relaying a clear idea of your identity, image, and overall narrative is vital to developing and maintaining a devoted fan base in today's super-saturated music business. But what should you be focusing on, and how should it be presented to make the biggest impact with your audience and the industry?

Music industry veteran Steve Waxman has shaped the careers of some of Canada's best-known musical exports and joins us with answers to those questions. We cite well-known examples like Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Scott Helman, and Brett Kissel, talk about the importance of goal setting, and touch on The Creationists - Steve's new podcast about people who create.

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This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Try it free for 30 days and use the promo code “CMPOD” to get 15% off the first year of any subscription. https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=cmpod

Mike sits down with visionary pop songwriter, producer, and singer Lauv, who has just dropped his highly-anticipated debut LP ‘How I'm Feeling.’ They discuss Lauv’s rise to hitmaker status for stars like Charli XCX and Celine Dion, and the transition to performing his own songs with the likes of Alessia Cara and BTS. He also delves into self-care and mental health and how his Blue Boy Foundation factors in.

Before that, we chat with Marc Vincent, better known as Ruffsound. He’s one of the premier beatmakers and producers in the resurgent Quebec rap scene, working with lauded locals Loud, Koriass, and FouKi and international names like Dua Lipa and Black Pink. They get deep into the sound of Francophone hip-hop and why it's taken off in recent years, as well as Ruffsound's moonlighting in film and TV.

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This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Try it free for 30 days and use the promo code “CMPOD” to get 15% off your first year of any subscription. https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=cmpod

This week, we bring you a special conversation with rap innovators Cadence Weapon, aka Rollie Pemberton, and Hua Li, aka Peggy Hogan, from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. The two were part of the 20-day Banff International Songwriter Residency as a mentor and participant, respectively, and we dive into their experience, talk about the value of collaboration and idea-sharing, wax on the concept of "Canadian music," and more.

Plus, shortly after Canada started taking COVID-19 seriously in mid-March, a group of Toronto creatives launched a livestreaming initiative called URGNT. The idea was to broadcast sessions with a diverse array of artists from empty Toronto venues, ensuring every stakeholder would receive some compensation for their work at a time they'd really need it. We speak with co-founder Mark Marczyk about how everything came together.

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This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Try it free for 30 days and use the promo code “CMPOD” to get 15% off your first year of any subscription. https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=cmpod

They're one of the greatest musical trios this country has ever produced. Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden - aka Blackie and the Rodeo Kings - join us on today's show. Mike had the pleasure of sitting down with the guys in those glorious days before physical distancing became the new normal. In 2020, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are celebrating their 25th year together, so of course we discuss that longevity and the unique chemistry they share, as well as the making of their new album, King of This Town. Tom also discusses the incredible personal journey he’s been on over the last seven years, and Colin and Stephen ponder it from their unique vantage point.

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This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Try it free for 30 days and use the promo code “CMPOD” to get 15% off your first year of any subscription. https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=cmpod

Veteran concert promoter, writer, broadcaster, artist manager, and TV producer Steve Warden joins us to discuss and flesh out some of the ideas he proposes in an open letter published by FYI Music News. The piece ponders on how musicians and the music industry can move forward during and after the COVID-19 shutdowns. We chat about the flood of free virtual concerts and subsequent concerns about devaluing artists’ performances, what a virtual tour could look like, what the industry needs to start putting in motion, and more.

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RadioClub is the brainchild of lifelong friends Shawn Desman and Tebey - two music industry vets with a long list of international achievements to their names. We get into what inspired this new collaborative project, why they chose to cover Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" for their first single, the parallels between pop and country compositions, and more.

Also on the pod is Dre Pao - an artist, TV and podcast host, and social media consultant who also helps young artists develop their own music careers. Mike talks to Dre about how artists can take advantage of prominent social media platform TikTok to engage with fans and boost their profile.

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This week, we’re sharing the full conversation Mike had with musician and artist advocate Miranda Mulholland as part of his research for a new article on how the COVID-19 crisis is impacting the music business and what lies ahead. Miranda - who, in addition to being an artist advocate that works closely with all levels of government, is also one-half of the duo Harrow Fair – offers a revealing perspective on how artists are being professionally and personally impacted by the loss of live shows, gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of how government has dealt with the crisis, and discusses her own experience of releasing an album in the midst of all this.

Read Mike's article, "Behind the Scenes as the Canadian Music Industry Copes with an Unprecedented Crisis," at: https://indepth.canadianmusician.com/its-impossible-to-imagine-behind-the-scenes/

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Three Indiana women who moved to the United States as children have created a fund to help immigrant families who don't qualify for government aid and have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The women joined other volunteers, many of whom are also recipients under the ...

Two Democratic senators, along with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, have introduced a bill to give Americans $2,000 checks every month throughout the duration of the coronavirus crisis, as proposals for stimulus payment programs float on Capitol Hill.

Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Ed Markey of Massachusetts teamed ...

The London Royal Ravens lost the first map against the Atlanta FaZe on Saturday and were denied a chance to restart despite the fact they had to play shorthanded because Matthew "Skrapz" Marshall was not in his seat at the start of the match.

"Considering a pandemic, the flower industry has rebounded like crazy. All the floral shops that I know are super busy and sold out."

John Hillman may have already met his fundraising target, but he says he's determined to complete all planned 101 laps around his residence.

Drive-in theatres are also allowed to open on May 15.

An Edmonton family is expressing frustration because their 12-year-old daughter, who has a rare disorder, cannot access the horse therapy she needs.

A lack of guidance for some non-essential dental treatments is causing concern for hygienists and assistants as clinics reopen in Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the province enters its second week of the first phase of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, the provincial government has updated guidelines for some of the businesses expected to open soon.

We're led to believe though that, having refused to quarantine the vast majority of passengers arriving in the UK earlier, the government will now move to do so, as lockdown starts to ease.

Chinese fans of Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons are paying a premium on foreign consoles and finding ways to skirt limits imposed by local regulators on a game that has become both a breakout worldwide hit and political flashpoint.

Georgia is one of four states that does not have a hate crime law. It became an issue this week with the arrest of a white father and son accused of shooting and killing an unarmed black jogger.

The report comes as the government announced all states must now meet federal reporting guidelines. The type of information gathered by states up to now has been inconsistent.

Justin Gaethje put on a striking masterclass to score a surprise knockout victory over Tony Ferguson and win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249, which took place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday.Ferguson, who came into the fight on a 12-win streak, suffered damage as Gaethje chopped at his legs and landed thunderous hooks before referee Herb Dean stepped in to end the fight late in the fifth round.

On the occasion of Mothers Day 2020, many prominent personalities of sports fraternity like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina took to their respective social media accounts and posted heartfelt messages for their mother. The life of a sportsperson is filled with obstacles and a lot of hardship and dedication is required to play the game at the highest level.

UFC 249 served as the first major sporting event to take place since the global pandemic shut down much of the country nearly eight weeks ago. It was originally scheduled for 18 April in New York, but was postponed in hopes of helping slow the spread of COVID-19.

Henry Cejudo, 33, surprisingly called time on his UFC career following Saturday's second-round TKO against Dominick Cruz.

Jacksonville, May 10: Henry Cejudo announced his shock retirement after retaining his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Cejudo scored a contentious second-round TKO over Cruz as the UFC returned behind closed doors in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday

However, Stewart also voiced concerns of how the lack of a County season would affect the development of young players in the system.

Moments after defending his bantamweight title, Henry Cejudo has announced shock retirement from UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Cejudo defeated Dominick Cruz in a second round TKO in the co-main event of UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida.

In Shikhar Dhawan's latest antics on Instagram, he can be seen romancing with his wife Ayesha on song 'Main Teri Mohabbat Mein.' Through the video, he showcased the difference between the first week of quarantine which will leave you in splits.

Six-year-old Yunosuke and four-year-old Koujirou can be seen training on the Swedish and Serbian legends in a viral video.

Justin Gaethje sent a message to Khabib Nurmagomedov with a merciless performance against Justin Ferguson on Saturday.

Jacksonville, May 10: Justin Gaethje produced a brutal display in a final-round stoppage against Tony Ferguson to become the new interim lightweight champion at the highly anticipated UFC 249. UFC made its long-awaited return behind closed doors in Jacksonville, Florida

As the Bundesliga prepares to restart on May 16, the former Arsenal midfielder believes the league could have waited before ending the French season

Arsenal reportedly must decide on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future by next month amid Real Madrid links.

London, May 10: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is out of contract in June 2021 and the Gabon international is no closer to signing a new Arsenal deal. The former Borussia Dortmund star is not short of suitors amid uncertainty over his future

Emirates Cricket Board has offered to host the Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) amid the coronavirus pandemic in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As per a report, Emirates Cricket Board has made the proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Sergio Perez has revealed that the financial problems at the former Force India squad were evident on the first day he visited its factory before the 2014 Formula 1 season

When Dasgupta slammed ISL as a 'masala league', Mohun Bagan's Debasish Dutta hit back saying 'grapes are sour'...

Former Toulouse manager Antoine Kombouare said there should be direct action after the French top division was called to a premature halt

The experienced midfielder believes they can clinch the title right under the noses of favourites Amakhosi and Masandawana

They were first women to overwinter in the Arctic Circle without a man. Now Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Fålulm Strøm face a longer stay due to the pandemic.

A review from Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety has found that Cargill did not attempt to engage worker representation as it investigated the circumstances that led to the largest COVID-19 outbreak linked to a single facility in Canada.

The pandemic has thrown publishing and booksellers into crisis – and left customers struggling to obtain books when they most want them. But some in the industry sense an opportunity to drag it into the 21st century

On 18 March, Emma Corfield-Walters received the news that for the second year running, her shop, Book-ish, in Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons, had landed the title for Wales in the regional round of the independent bookshop of the year award. Corfield-Walters has run Book-ish for 10 years. It has 16 staff and a cafe, is the base for a literary festival that she also organises, and is credited with having played a major part in the regeneration of Crickhowell’s award-winning high street. Above all, it is a highly successful business: 2019 was a record year. The fact that it would now again be a contender for the overall prize – to be announced in June at the British book awards – was for Corfield-Walters a hard-earned affirmation of a decade’s passion and work.

But she was hardly celebrating. Britain was then five days from lockdown. “It was surreal,” she says. “We’d won best bookshop in Wales, yet I wasn’t sure for how much longer I’d have a shop that people could visit. It was like that scene in Star Wars when the walls are moving in, and the room’s getting smaller and smaller. The goalposts were shifting every day. At first, we thought: OK, we’ll buy hand sanitiser! But by the weekend, it was clear the shop would have to close.” Her first thought was for her staff, who are “like family” to her; the government’s subsequent announcement of its furlough scheme came as a huge relief. But there was also the question of her stock, and how she might keep selling it. Suddenly, the Book-ish website, hitherto used only to sell event tickets and signed copies, came into its own: “On the Saturday before lockdown began, we managed to get all 6,000 titles from the shop on to our website.”

One person was killed after a fire broke out on Saturday at a Moscow hospital treating patients infected with the new coronavirus, the authorities said.

Thailand reported five new coronavirus cases but no deaths on Sunday, bringing the total to 3,009 cases and 56 deaths since the outbreak started in the country in January.

Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Sunday the government is looking to lift the state of emergency in "many of 34 prefectures" that are not among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic before the nationwide deadline of May 31.

Although health officials have pointed to a flattening rate of daily cases in many provinces, Trudeau said Canada was "not in the recovery phase yet."

The idea is to identify the problem of burnout early and stop it before it happens.

Premier Doug Ford says that an announcement will be made next week on whether or not Ontario students will be able to return to the classroom this school year.

Quebec's public health institute says deaths could spike in the greater Montreal area if physical distancing measures designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 are lifted.